Wirtz's generosity, support gave Blackhawks family feel, Olczyk says

Eddie Olczyk had just announced his diagnosis with stage 3 colon cancer in August 2007 when his phone rang.

"Rocky called me right away and just said, 'Hey, whatever you need, you've got it.' He would check on me often and that's something I'll never forget," Olczyk said Wednesday.

Rocky was W. Rockwell "Rocky" Wirtz, the principal owner and chairman of the Chicago Blackhawks since 2007, who died Tuesday at age 70.

"It was the (whole) organization, for sure," Olczyk said. "I learned from that experience, if the shoe was on the foot of myself, I would handle that situation for someone else the same way because they made me feel at peace. They were there to extend any help to me or my family and that meant the world. It just made me feel good and let me concentrate on trying to get better and healthy."

Olczyk, who had played for the Blackhawks and at the time was a television analyst, announced that was he cancer-free in the first intermission of the Blackhawks' 5-2 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on March 22, 2018.

It was one of many examples Olczyk had of Wirtz's generosity and impact on the Blackhawks organization.

Born Oct. 5, 1952, Wirtz was the grandson of Arthur Wirtz, who bought a stake in the Blackhawks in 1950 and acquired outright ownership of them in 1966. Rocky's father, Bill, owned the team from 1983-2007. When Bill Wirtz died in 2007, Rocky inherited it.

"It's just a very tough time, a very sad day and I feel for his wife, Marilyn, and obviously Danny (Wirtz, Rocky's son and Blackhawks CEO) and the kids and the family and entire organization," Olczyk said.

Olczyk, chosen by the Blackhawks with the No. 3 in the 1984 NHL Draft, played for Chicago from 1984-87 and from 1998-2000. Olczyk was a television analyst for the Blackhawks from 2006-22 before joining the Seattle Kraken in a similar role last season.

"I'll just remember him for always reaching out, always doing things for others without limelight or cameras or microphones or pictures and just always willing to have conversation and dictate the conversation to what was going on in my life or my family's life," Olczyk said.

"My dad was in the grocery store business for 1,000 years and obviously the Wirtz family and Rocky and the (Wirtz) beverage business, there was always a tie there. Any time my dad would see Rocky, they would be talking about that world."

During Rocky Wirtz's tenure, the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013 and 2015. In 2007, the Blackhawks reached a deal with Comcast SportsNet Chicago (now NBC Sports Chicago) to televise home games, something that wasn't done during Bill Wirtz's tenure unless the game was nationally televised.

Olczyk already was working on Blackhawks broadcasts during the 2006-07 season when Rocky Wirtz negotiated the local television deal. In 2008, Olczyk was joined in the TV booth by play-by-play man Pat Foley, who was brought back after being fired two years prior.

"The on-the-ice carries the off-the-ice, but (Rocky) knew how important it was to brand and to have that three-hour commercial for 82 nights of the regular season," Olczyk said.

The Blackhawks returned to prominence under Rocky Wirtz, and Olczyk was grateful to be there for it.

"It was a renaissance, there's no doubt about it," he said. "To have done it on TV all those years was a great honor and privilege and then you talk about all the great players and coaches and obviously the winning ties it all up. Rocky was the leader, and it was just great to work for him and under him but to know him was even better and that was very important."